Imagine watching the neighborhood you once called “home” slowly crumble—flooded streets where children once played joyously, rooftops barely visible above rising waters, or later desolate by flood-damaged bricks covered in moss. Or feeling the stifling heat enveloping you, thick and unyielding, and dwellings burned to ashes.
For numerous families, these are not just distant events, but harsh realities of their everyday lives. And now, as the Palisades fire rages in Los Angeles County, displacing families and devastating entire communities, we’re reminded once again of how climate change exacerbates the frequency and intensity of such disasters.
My own connection to these difficulties began during summer vacations spent in a province in the Philippines, where floods and tropical typhoons repeatedly devastated a community I had previously visited. These experiences stood in stark contrast to the oppressive heat and dry, rocky landscapes of Muscat, the capital of Oman, where I grew up. There, temperatures regularly soared, and the arid environment offered little reprieve. These contrasts shaped my perception of a world increasingly at risk due to the effects of climate change.
Through my decades-long enthusiasm for art, I discovered creative methods as an artist to highlight these stories. I am confident that as a society, we are capable of turning these into informative messages that compel attention and urgent action.
Driven by this long-past realization, I worked with other Directors in the research and social media teams at Climate Cardinals, an international youth-led nonprofit organization, on a visual project titled “Children on the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis” last year. This informative narrative reached a thousand impressions online, shedding light on the harsh reality that 1 billion children face as a result of climate change. In addition, I was able to support the organization’s mission directly by creating over 300 additional graphics, further contributing to its efforts in raising awareness and driving meaningful change.
Hence, as seen in the widely reported wildfires in Los Angeles, climate change is not a faraway concern—it’s here, now. It has been affecting hundreds of thousands in LA and millions globally. Based on my personal journey, I’m convinced that art can transform these challenges into narratives that draw out the voices of individuals on the front lines for audiences to gain insight into. Like images of children escaping blazing flames or families holding onto anything they can salvage in the midst of catastrophe can bring about primal feelings and motivate people towards taking responsibility. This can turn pain into messages of hope. Struggle into calls for action.
It’s more than about making the unseen visible. It’s about taking that vision and using it to produce results that move people—to inspire a generation that will not stand by as the world changes, so that we may all live in harmony with the natural environment and the creatures who inhabit it.
Therefore, every little thing we do—each creative effort, each channeled kindness, and each meaningful conversation we spark—adds up to something bigger, and that ‘something’ may be a spark that ignites a fire of transformation! Together, we can work to rebuild lives and nurture a more sustainable world for those affected by floods, wildfires, heatwaves, and other climate-related disasters, especially younger generations!
